From downhill mountain biking I never thought I would switch to a cross-country mountain bike, "Why pedal up?" Then I rode the Grand Traverse alone, and didn't see another human for hours,,, SOLD bought a cross-country mountain bike.

Plato said, "Time will change and even reverse many of your present opinions."

A couple years later I justified my cross country mountain biking existence by frequently declaring how lame road bikes were and that I would NEVER wear spandex. Then I got a comment on the long false-flat on the back side of 24 hours of moab lap. As he passed he commented I should get a road bike and learn to turn big gears... I did. My mountain biking got faster and my ass looks awesome in spandex.

You may have heard me ranting in the past that Single-Speed mountain bikes are for masochists. "why not accept technology? God wants us to have 27 speeds... Tentatively I rode a friend's in Fruita. Drunk, on Ebay, later that week I bought one... They make you mean, they make you that masochist. I cought my Surly 1x1 smoking Kool Menthols after a ride, it's a tough bike. It makes you want to attack wimps with granny gears and pass them on a grueling climb, looking at them sideways with an evil sparkle in your eyes. It forces me to let go of the brakes, and descend quickly, silently stalking those full suspension softies.

Wait what was this about? Oh yeah, last night I thought it would be a good idea to haul my buddy up to Lost Lake for an after work ride. Usually the 8 mile climb on fire-road to the trail head would be enough to get me dumped. The technical roots, babyheads, and water crossings didn't even get me a dirty look.. I know, he's a keeper.

But as we neared the lake.... Oh man the Skeeters were so thick it was like fog. My buddy had one get off and I swear his shirt looked brown,,, hundreds of mosquitos all over him....

The point of the story? Buy a Single Speed mountain bike, and ride it on the Lost Lake Loop,,, but not for a few weeks and with plenty OFF!

Courtesy of Outdoorzy.com